


steady feet don't fail me now

by IBlogAboutIt



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Desert Vibes, Friends to Lovers, Jae works in a grocery store, M/M, Mild Language, Young K is a bartender, Young K swears, but not enough to tag it as teen i think so, they both wanna get Out Of This Town, this is heavily modeled off the town I grew up in but I didn't set it anywhere specific so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:08:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23698249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IBlogAboutIt/pseuds/IBlogAboutIt
Summary: The heat rolls in with dawn. The first light of the sun quickly defeats any coolness of the night before, burns out any moisture. The desert is vast and flat, an unforgiving harshness broken up only by highways and fences. Small towns are scattered across it like freckles on a cracked and drying face. Almost every day is the same.Jae and Younghyun have always wanted to leave.(Edit: I changed the ending to lead into the sequel I'll eventually finish one day! Apologies if you liked the other one better)
Relationships: Kang Younghyun | Young K/Park Jaehyung | Jae
Comments: 8
Kudos: 27





	steady feet don't fail me now

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to Young K's obsession with Stop and Stare, and also my life growing up in rural Australia. I listened to a 'desert music' playlist on Spotify while I wrote this so do that if you want to.
> 
> AN: I didn't love the ending and I'm finally working on the sequel so I rewrote it!

**MONDAY (-8)**

The heat rolls in with dawn. The first light of the sun quickly defeats any coolness of the night before, burns out any moisture. The desert is vast and flat, an unforgiving harshness broken up only by highways and fences. Small towns are scattered across it like freckles on a cracked and drying face. Almost every day is the same.

-

Jae wakes up early to skate to work. He doesn’t have to take the early shift, but it’s easier to pull himself out of bed knowing that if he leaves any later, the morning sun will be uncomfortably harsh on his skin. It’s worth it, despite the fact that it won’t last much longer – the further into summer, the earlier the mornings and soon, the sun will be up before he is, no matter how hard he tries.

The same couple have owned the grocery store for as long as he’s been alive; he once imagined they’d own it long after he left, but he’s not so sure about that anymore. He arrives in time to greet Mrs Murphy as she pulls open the front shutter, and heads to the back to start unpacking the boxes that came in last night. His shift passes slowly, and quietly, as usual. Almost every day is the same.

-

Younghyun wakes to a dark room, blackout curtains leaving only the tiniest strip of light where he hung them slightly off centre. The sluggish afternoon warmth that hangs in the air is only disrupted by a small fan; he sighs at what little movement he feels against his skin. His stomach grumbles, and he grumbles back at it.

In the kitchen, he turns on the small radio that only picks up the broken signal of a distant jazz station. Someone opens the front door; he can’t see that it’s Jae but he knows it is regardless, and a moment later Jae’s voice rings through the house. Younghyun’s coffee drips quietly from the machine. He makes another cup and takes it through to where his best friend sits, lounging across an armchair.

Jae recounts the gossip from his shift, and in return Younghyun tells him about the couple who came to the pub last night, just passing through the town but obviously expecting much more given their disappointment at a lack of cocktail options. The last of the afternoon hours pass quietly, the heat that permeates the house not allowing for much activity. Before long, Younghyun has to leave for his bartending shift.

He comes home at 2am to an empty house, sticky and tired. He showers off the stickiness, and falls into bed in hopes to combat the tiredness. Almost every day is the same.

**TUESDAY (-7)**

Jae sleeps in. Tuesdays are his day off; a regular day for the grocery but the slowest night at the pub - the only night Younghyun doesn’t work - and he’s the only thing in this town that Jae needs or wants to schedule his shifts around. So he sleeps in, and wakes slowly, and lets the sun climb out of bed quicker than he does. He passes the morning easily, waiting for a reasonable time for Younghyun to be awake. Eventually, he slings his bag across his shoulder and grabs a video game, opening the door to the wall of heat that’s waiting for him.

The trip to Younghyun’s doesn’t bother him much; the air conditioner was harsh on his skin before he left, and his friend’s house isn’t far enough away for the heat of midday to become too much before he’s inside again. The key to Younghyun’s front door lies next to his own house key, and is used almost as much.

Younghyun’s smile greets him, like it always does on Tuesday afternoons, and every week Jae wonders to himself at how that smiles warms him more than the scorching sun does. He tosses the video game to Younghyun, who uses it to gesture to the sandwich waiting on the table but doesn’t get up to turn the TV on. Instead, he smiles wider at Jae.

“I’ve got something for you to listen to.”

Jae fakes a gasp, but smiles back. “Does this mean what I think it means?” Younghyun laughs at his dramatics. “Do I finally get to hear the long-and-very-patiently-awaited song from chronic perfectionist and world-renowned artist Kang Younghyun?”

Younghyun hasn’t stopped laughing. “You have not been patient! And I’m certainly not world renowned.”

“Not yet!” Jae calls to his back, as Younghyun ducks into his bedroom to get his guitar.

Younghyun settles on the floor, and looks up at Jae, leaning back against the arm of the couch. “I think it’s done, but it might change yet, and it’ll sound different with all the instruments-“ but Jae cuts him off.

“Just play the damn song, Younghyun, I’ve waited long enough for this.”

Younghyun picks the first notes and closes his eyes; Jae can’t bring himself to do the same. He’s seen thunderstorms roll across the desert, he’s seen sunsets and sunrises and meteor showers; even still, he doesn’t think he’s seen anything that’s moved him more than watching Younghyun play. He’s just as breathless as Younghyun by the time the last note wavers and fades away.

Younghyun doesn’t look up, and Jae doesn’t know what to do. He’s waited months to hear this song, ever since Younghyun mentioned he was writing something special. He hadn’t been allowed to listen to any of it, every detail locked away in Younghyun’s bedroom until today, until now. Now, he doesn’t know how to explain how the song made him feel. He can’t imagine how Younghyun feels.

Eventually, Younghyun lays the guitar on the floor, and Jae moves to make room for him on the couch. Younghyun sits close, but they’ve always been generous with physical contact and there’s no hesitation as Jae wraps an arm around his shoulders. Jae pulls them gently back, until Younghyun is half leaning against the back of the couch and half against Jae’s side. Jae’s voice is quiet.

“That was beautiful, Younghyun. I don’t…” He trails off. “Your parents?”

Younghyun nods. “Not like I’ll let Dad hear it any time soon though.” A sound escapes Younghyun, a heavy breath that sits between a bitter laugh and a sigh. Jae just nods, and rubs his shoulder. He stares at the ceiling, knowing Younghyun needs a moment to find his words.

“I don’t know how to explain to him that he’s like a ghost. I don’t even know if I want to explain that to him.” Younghyun sighs. His voice is rough when he starts again. “Sometimes, nothing feels real. Every day is basically the same; once in a few weeks, I get to see Dad, and once a year I hear from Mum as if that makes up for leaving. Nothing changes, but I have and it feels like I’ve outgrown this town like a school uniform but I’m still stuck here, with all my dreams and not even a fucking suitcase because I’ve never been anywhere that needed one.” Jae feels hot tears dripping on his shirt, and holds on a little tighter, tries to give his friend something solid. “At least we’re stuck here together, right?”

Jae’s voice is as shaky as he feels. “Yeah, we are.”

They lie like that for hours. When Jae feels his shoulder beginning to strain, he stands up, squeezes Younghyun’s arm and moves to the kitchen to start dinner.

-

That night, they climb up onto the roof, the air still warm around them and the shingles warmer underneath them. The Milky Way stretches out across the sky, like a watery brush stroke laid under so many stars. Their legs dangle over the gutter as they look out onto the empty streets.

“Where would you go, if you left tomorrow?” Jae asks. It’s a familiar question; they’ve spent many nights imagining what it would be like to be in New York, or LA, or Paris, or Sydney.

Younghyun sighs. “Fucking…anywhere, man.” Jae turns to look at him. “I know that’s not like, the game but I mean it. I’d go anywhere, as long as it was away from here.”

“Would I be coming with you? On your trip to anywhere?” Jae’s voice is more confident than he feels.

Younghyun looks over at him. “As long as you want to.”

“Of course I want to, Younghyun.” Jae gestures at the darkness in front of them as he speaks. “You think there’s anything else in this town worth staying for?”

Younghyun shakes his head, laughs a little. “I don’t know, maybe the flirting from Sharee Archer isn’t as one sided as you make it out to be.” He laughs properly as Jae shudders at the thought, hitting his arm in retaliation.

They quiet down again, letting the sounds of the desert fill the silence.

“It’s like that song by the Script, you know.” Younghyun’s voice is quiet as he sings. “ _This town is colder now, I think it’s sick of us_.”

Jae picks up the next line. “ _It’s time to make our move, I’m shaking off the rust_.”

“I think this town really is sick of us, Jae.”

And somehow, between Younghyun and Jae and the desert, a decision is made.

**THURSDAY (-5)**

It’s been a quiet Thursday morning at the grocery store, and the post-school-drop-off rush has come and gone when Jae hears Mr McNash talking about how he doesn’t know what to do with his daughter’s car, now that she’s married and moved away. Jae lets himself into the conversation, mentions that he can take it off his hands – he doesn’t know why he let himself skate for so long in a place this hot. Mr McNash laughs, and asks less than Jae would have offered for it, and by the end of his shift Jae owns a car.

-

Younghyun hears the happiness in Jae’s voice before he sees his face, but when Jae makes it to the lounge he’s wearing the brightest smile Younghyun’s seen on him in a long time. Jae doesn’t even wait for Younghyun to ask.

“I bought a car.”

Younghyun smiles back, albeit more confused.

“Where in this godforsaken town did you buy a car?”

“Mr McNash. Aimee got married and left her car, so I bought it.” Jae says, like it’s the simplest thing in the world. Younghyun thinks it probably is.

“So now you have a car.”

“Now _we_ have a car, Younghyun.”

Younghyun smiles. “Fuck, we have a car.” He can’t keep himself from laughing, and Jae joins in.

“We have a car!” Younghyun yells, arms spread wide. Jae catches his hand, face serious but a smile at the corner of his mouth.

“Aren’t you glad Aimee didn’t ride a motorbike?”

They both burst into laughter, and hug each other a little too tight.

FRIDAY (-4)

The next day, Younghyun tells Jae he’s taking an earlier shift at the pub – which is true, he did ask for a few extra hours to make the most of the Friday tips. But before that, he heads to the run-down thrift shop, managed by older ladies from the only church in town. They smile at him in the way that people who’ve seen him grow up tend to, fondness that’s edged with just a little bit of pity.

When he carries the two large trunks that have always sat under the rack of dresses to the counter, Ms Chapman tells him to take the duffel as well – no charge, she says, she won’t make him pay for something he needs. She sends him on his way, smile a little sadder, and says she’ll pray for his safety.

-

When Younghyun gets home with the luggage, he sets them out on his bed and sends a photo to Jae. He doesn’t get a response. He’s not really waiting for one though; this thing is as inevitable as a falling avalanche, but they’re not talking about it. He tries not to think about how that feels like their whole lives.

**SATURDAY (-3)**

Jae’s heart jumps every time he remembers the text from Younghyun, every time he walks outside and sees the dusty car sitting in his driveway. He’s been so used to seeing the concrete bare. There hasn’t been a car there since he turned eighteen, since his too-young parents decided he was old enough to look after himself while they travelled the world like they always wanted to. Jae could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen them since that day. He stares at the car, and realises with a nervous joy that he won’t have time to get used to seeing it there.

-

Before his shift begins, he texts Wonpil and asks if the offer of a couch to sleep on is still available. He gets an enthusiastic yes in return. He met Wonpil online, in a music forum back when forums were the thing, and Wonpil knows how badly and how long he’s wanted to leave. He gets a suspicious lack of questions when he tells him Younghyun is coming too; Wonpil also knows how Jae feels about his best friend, even if they’ve never talked about it. Jae knows what they say about gift horses and mouths, and decides not to look at this one too closely.

-

Younghyun is greeted that afternoon by Jae throwing him his phone, open to a text conversation. He’s known about Wonpil since Jae met him, and has talked to him a few times when he’s called Jae while they were hanging out together. When he realises what the conversation means, he looks up at Jae.

“I don’t know if that was part of your plan for anywhere,” Jae says as a grin spreads across his face, “but it’s somewhere to sleep.”

Younghyun laughs, and stands up to hug his best friend. He feels like that’s been happening more and more lately. There’s not a single part of him that’s unhappy about it.

**SUNDAY (-2)**

Younghyun’s dad arrives home the next morning. He wakes up to the rumble of a semi cab pulling up in front of the house, and he’s simultaneously glad about and dreading doing this in person.

He opens the front door to greet his dad; when he was younger, it would’ve been with a hug but there’s been too many years and miles between them for anything other than a nod and a gruff hello.

There’s a certain rhythm to these moments, no matter how many days it’s been or what time his dad arrives. While his dad showers, Younghyun makes scrambled eggs and pours coffee into the largest mug they own, the one that says “trucks drive the country, and my dad drives the trucks”. They sit at the table, the only time it gets used. The morning sun bleeds through the curtains and paints the kitchen in a pale yellow light. Eventually, Younghyun finds his voice.

“I’m leaving.”

His dad pauses to look up at him.

“Tuesday. Jae bought a car and…” he trails off. “We’re leaving.”

“Where did Jae get a car around here?” His dad is shuffling what’s left of his eggs around his plate.

Younghyun huffs a laugh. “Aimee McNash got married and left her car behind.”

His dad nods. “Tuesday, then. Got any plans?”

“A few. Mostly putting this place in the rearview mirror.”

His dad takes a long sip of coffee, and sets down his mug. “I’m sorry, son.”

Younghyun knows all the words that are going unsaid, and says his own. “I know. Me too.”

They stand up to clear the dishes away, and as his dad heads for his bedroom, he turns to Younghyun again.

“I’ll keep you updated on my routes. If we’re ever heading the same way, let me know.”

Younghyun nods, but he knows that that’s unlikely.

The goodbye he calls to his dad as he leaves for his shift that night feels more permanent than it should.

**MONDAY (-1)**

Monday feels like the longest day of Jae’s life. He can’t stop moving while he works, his last shift dragging on and on. He wonders – aloud, at one point – if everyone has decided that they’re going to shop on other days this week, just so today would be extra boring for him. Mrs Murphy just laughs, but she hands him an envelope before he leaves and wishes him good luck. She’s the only person in town he told about leaving, and he knows that if she’d told anyone else, today would have been a lot busier. He thanks her, and drives to Younghyun’s place for the second last time.

-

Jae walks into Younghyun’s lounge to see two trunks stacked on top of each other, the duffel bag lying empty on top. Younghyun catches his eye from where he’s standing by the table. They both grin at the same time.

“I figured you’d need some luggage space as well.” Younghyun laughs as Jae grabs the duffel bag, throwing it by the door so he doesn’t forget it when he leaves.

Jae perches himself on top of the trunks, leaning against them, and Younghyun sits cross-legged on the couch.

“My dad came home last night.”

The grin drops from Jae’s face. “Oh shit. How was that?”

Younghyun shrugs. “Fine. I think he gets it. Or at least knew it was coming.”

“I’m assuming he left this morning?” Jae hadn’t seen a truck when he pulled up.

“Yeah. I don’t know when I’ll see him again.”

Jae moves to join him on the couch. “I feel you on that.” He ruffles Younghyun’s hair, and decides not to tell him about the still unanswered text he sent his parents last night. That could wait for another time. He lets Younghyun change the conversation.

-

Jae texts Younghyun that night, even though he knows he’s working.

_> > Are you sure you want to do this?_

The reply isn’t immediate, but it’s quicker than he expected.

_< < Yes. Are you?_

_> > Have been for years  
>> 7am too early?_

_< < Sounds perfect; I’ll head home early tonight_

Jae’s half asleep, and sends the next messages without thinking about it.

_> > I’m glad you’ll be with me  
>> Always have been_

It’s 1am when his phone buzzes again, to sleeping ears.

_< < Me too_

**TUESDAY (0)**

Jae’s suitcase and newly acquired duffel bag are already in the trunk of the car, so all he has to do is make a coffee and grab his backpack before he leaves. He locks the front door, stands back for a moment to look at the house. He thinks he should feel sad, about something at least, but he doesn’t. The nervousness and excitement are too strong.

-

Younghyun watches Jae pull up in front of his house, morning sun reflecting off the car windows to where he sits on the front steps, luggage and guitar waiting next to him. Jae climbs out of the car, smiling across the roof before his other foot has even touched the ground. They load the trunks and Younghyun lays his guitar across the backseat, ignoring Jae’s laugh as he buckles it in.

Jae turns on the air conditioner as they pull out, and for once it feels like there’s somewhere the summer heat can’t infiltrate. Younghyun tunes the radio to a station that doesn’t play jazz.

As they pass the sign that bids them farewell from the town, they smile at each other, and Younghyun reaches a hand across to rest on Jae’s shoulder.

-

Each mile that passes eases a little tension in them both, and by the time they stop for the night, they’re feeling calmer than they have in years. They eat greasy takeaway and relish in being in a town where no one knows who they are.

They’re sitting on the double bed in their motel room, empty cupcake wrappers between them, when Younghyun picks up his guitar. The melody he plays is a little mournful, but Jae finds more hope than loss in it.

“Is that new?”

“Yeah,” Younghyun smiles. “It’s been in my head since we left. I don’t know what it’ll be yet, but…” Jae nods in understanding.

Younghyun keeps picking away, repeating the riff. Jae watches, and realises that he doesn’t know what anything will be. He doesn’t know where they’re going, or what they’ll do. He’s not scared; he’s eager.

Younghyun falters on a note, picks the melody up again for a second before stopping to look at Jae. Jae can see in his face the same realisation that he’s just come to. Younghyun’s the one who says it, voice quiet but confident.

“I don’t know what it’ll be, but I know we’ll be together.”

Jae nods, and feels himself leaning in – like gravity is reorienting itself around Younghyun but that can’t be right, because it seems like Younghyun is leaning towards him. But Jae blinks, and somewhere in his brain all the doubts he’s ever had come flooding back in. He wants to, god does he want to, but he can’t get past every reason he hasn’t done this before now. He pulls back. There’s a moment when he thinks Younghyun looks disappointed, but he turns to put his guitar to the side and his face is clear when he turns back. Jae’s chest aches, and he mutters something about a shower as he gets up.

**WEDNESDAY (+1)**

They wake to a room flooded with light, the cheap motel curtains doing little to stop the blinding morning sun. Younghyun groans and buries his head in the pillow, and Jae laughs at him as he gets up to make coffee. The ache in his chest is a little easier this morning, but it’s still there, reminding him of last night.

They’ll be at Wonpil’s by tomorrow evening; it’ll take long hours to get there, leaving miles of highway behind them under that everlasting heat. Beyond Wonpil’s, there’s something to be found – something that’s still too delicate for either of them to touch yet.

But as they pile into the car once again, Younghyun looks over to Jae with a smile and tunes the radio to something new. Jae pulls out onto the highway, leaving what happened last night in that little motel room. The future can be left to the future. They’ll never let every day be the same again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! sorry if the ending is too angsty, I'm writing a sequel rn and I swear that'll have the happy ending that this originally did (it'll also feature the rest of the boys!)
> 
> CC is encouraged especially bc I don't have a beta; kudos and comments give me life so pls be generous


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